Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

It's often debated whether love at first sight exists, but what about love BEFORE first sight?

Since the newspaper doesn't trust its employees with this new-fangled internet technology (the book is set in 1999), the IT department is filtering all email - and it's Lincoln's job to read flagged messages and issue warnings for violation of policy. But he's begun following the conversations between a copy editor and an entertainment writer like it's a daily soap opera, instead of sending the women warning notes from "security" like he should. Beth and Jennifer's relationship and all their daily interactions are so very interesting, especially for a guy who's stuck in a state of arrested development.

And as much as he'd like to take action - to walk into the newsroom and meet Jennifer face to face - it's hard to ask a woman on a date when you've been secretly reading her emails for months. Talk about awkward! Plus, she's got a boyfriend. But lately, meeting Jennifer is all Lincoln can think about.

I've had a huge booknerd crush on Rainbow Rowell since reading her teen books (Eleanor and Park, Fangirl) and this was her first adult novel, published in 2012. I've already read an advance copy of her upcoming adult novel, Landline, which you'll see reviewed here in June.

I've adored all of Rowell's books, and this one is no exception. She writes fully realized, relatable characters in the kind of real-world sticky situations you can imagine yourself in, too. I'll be passing this book along and recommending it quite a bit - don't wait to try it yourself!

Bare Essentials

by Jill Shalvis and Leslie Kelly

Two books in one is two times the fun. 

I picked this one up because it had Jill Shalvis' name on the cover; Leslie Kelly's story was every bit as fun.  This is just the right mix of funny and tactfully raunchy.  Kate and Cassie come from a long line of women with reputations for liking men a whole lot.

In Naughty but Nice (Shalvis), lingerie model, Cassie, returns to her dreaded hometown to hide from a stalker and exact a little revenge in the process.  Too bad sheriff, Sean "Tag" Taggert quickly catches on while single-handedly upping her car insurance rate.  She hightailed it out of town as a teen after the sheriff hit on her the night of her prom.  Tag's got his work cut out for him to convince the beauty that he won't believe the rumors, even when they come from his own family. 

In Naturally Naughty (Kelly), Kate Jones finds herself back in Pleasantville with the excitement of opening a new store.  She's sure she'll shock the townspeople right into sending her packing for a second time.  Within minutes of arriving she has a brief but sizzling staring contest with Jack.  Hours later it turns into much more.  Frustration sets in when Kate figures out that Jack is the one man she wanted to leave in a miserable puddle: too bad she likes him.  He's got his own reasons for holding back; her mom is one of the most respected people in his life. 

The ideal man

by Julie Garwood

Ms. Garwood is back with another FBI thriller. This time Agent Max Daniels is hot on the trail of the elusive Landrys who have been running illegal arms into the country for years. Just as his team is closing in, the Landrys shoot another agent directly in front of Dr. Ellie Sullivan. Her quick thinking and proximity to the trauma center are essential to saving the man's life. Unfortunately, she may have gotten enough of a look at the Landrys for her own safety to be compromised. Agent Daniels starts out wanting to protect his witness, until he finds out she has been on the run from a dangerous stalker before and that one is also missing. Both Ellie and Max try to resist temptation as they keep watch for all the threats to her life.

Garwood has produced another zippy, if predictable, read with this one.